36FT (11M) Dome - Northern California

Here is a story from a sweet family telling their Dome experience. The photos in this article show the dome through the construction process:

We began clearing a space for our dome in June of 2004. We had originally, wanted to build the 44′ dome but were unable to clear sufficient space to put it on. We ended up going with the 36′ dome and are pleased that we did.

The foundation was finished in September and we eagerly awaited the arrival of our dome. Our new home arrived in two boxes on September 24th. You don’t often expect to get your new home in a box the size of a washer/dryer combo.

We started unpacking and labeling our poles the very next day. Two of us were able to get the first couple of frame rows going ourselves; eventually it took 3 people once we reached eye level. After the first few rows, we found ourselves in need of scaffolding and rented a 20′ package.

It took a little over a week to finish the frame and we called in all our friends and neighbors to help get the skin on. We used the bucket of our old tractor to help us get the skin rolled out. Positioning the skin turned out to be a challenge. We started out in the wrong place and had to make some adjustments to get it aligned. After “scootching” it around awhile, we got the skin in place and the roof zipped on. The following week, we got the insulation in and the winter liner installed.

The contractors were called back in and went to work on the interior, building the walls. Because of the unique nature of the dome, our contractor experienced unique challenges, and met them head on. Since the walls and the floor of the loft can not be attached to the sides of the dome, they had to come up with some creative alternatives that included extra foundation, interior supports, and weight bearing walls.

It is now the end of February and our dome home is near completion. When it is finished, our dome will have two bedrooms and a full bathroom down stairs, with a loft in full, but very small bathroom upstairs. It looks like the plumber and electrician should be our final stages and they are almost done. We hope to be living cozy in our Pacific Dome by mid March.